By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
Geophysicist Fred Duennebier stands in front of the
empty Pacific Ocean Science and Technology Center.

The Pacific Ocean Science and Technology Center, costing more than $48 million in state and federal funds, has remained empty and locked on the Ewa side of the Manoa campus since early last year.

Fiber-optics specialist Roy Wilkens recalls that the "soon-to-be-built" ocean science building was used to entice him to UH from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1986.

The Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology scientist was vested this year in the state retirement system - and he's still without an office in the new research facility.

"Our frustration is we can't identify who's the responsible party," said C. Barry Raleigh, dean of the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology, which will take over the building for earth sciences, ocean engineering, natural energy and planetary research programs.

The original completion date was 1989, but bids weren't sought until late 1992 because of planning delays and money problems. Four of the eight floors are unfinished because money ran out. The last Legislature appropriated $7 million to finish the space.

Scientists also are getting the building unfurnished - something they weren't aware of until last spring, said Fred Duennebier, Geology and Geophysics Department chairman. Some of the planned built-in furniture also is missing because of lack of money, he said.

Furniture purchased more than 30 years ago for the geophysics institute will have to be moved to the new facility, he said.

"Since most of the labs are unfurnished, we will not have desks or tables to put computers and microscopes on for student laboratories," he said.

Allan Ah San, UH associate vice president for administration, said some money from last year's appropriation can be used for furniture.

"But professors need to understand that a CIP (capital improvement project) doesn't necessarily provide for furniture."

"We could just take it if somebody would tell us what's going on," Duennebier said.

"We couldn't get a straight answer. They keep putting it off month by month."

The state Department of Accounting and General Services accepted the building from the contractor last July, said Gordon Matsuoka, state public works engineer.

Problems involve roof leaks, noisy rooms and vibrations from air-conditioning and wrong cabinets, he said.

Ah San said a faulty fire alarm system and other safety problems held up a certificate of occupancy from the city, but the university has just received it.

He points out that the building is "very sophisticated - one of a kind - so it has its problems and we're all working to overcome them. xxx Once these things are resolved, we will be ready to schedule the moves."

Eugene Imai, senior vice president for administration, said UH has reached agreement with DAGS and the federal government on what has to be done.

"Basically, we're trying to address each of the problems and assure what we have is a usable product and a safe building," Imai said.

The state provided $22 million for the research center and the federal government $26 million, including $6 million from the Navy for equipment and instruments.

Marvin Enokawa, UH Office of Research Services director and fiscal intermediary between the university and federal government, said he's withholding a final $2 million federal increment.

He said he won't release the money until the building "meets the satisfaction of all appropriate people" and is being occupied.

"If the building remains unoccupied, we have some explaining to do," Enokawa said.

Warranties also are expiring on millions of dollars worth of equipment still in shipping boxes, purchased in anticipation of a move last summer, Duennebier said.

Geology and geophysics faculty and graduate students say students have suffered because courses designed to use computer technology in the new building have been canceled twice.

UH also is losing grant money because of inadequate lab space until the building is completed, they said.

More than $1,000 was just spent to keep a "creaky old isotope lab" functioning at the institute while the new lab sits empty, scientists said.

And the new lab needs major remodeling before it's usable, which probably will cost about $100,000, said geophysicist John Mahoney.

He said input from scientists was largely ignored when the lab was planned. They discovered "many serious mistakes" when they finally saw the blueprints and found that few of the changes they requested were made, he said.

"It seems it's just one more of these many examples of a system not being able to function," said Tom McCord, planetary geoscientist who headed the planetary program when building planning began.

"I recall an awful lot of misspent time in the planning process where it was done and redone and redone," he said. "The biggest tragedy is it's sitting there empty and there's a desperate need for it."

Ah San said information was obtained from programs on what they wanted when the building was designed years ago. But new scientists and staff "have a different need or view on things that would be done," he said.

Matsuoka said the contractor, GW Murphy Construction Co., must correct problems because of workmanship, but the state must pay for changes not specified in the plans.

"Right now, we have funds to cover all projected changes," Matsuoka said.

He said design has started for the unfinished floors and they should be done "fairly quickly" if UH agrees to the plans.

Ah San said, "Everybody has high expectations because of the need for the building, the uniqueness of the building. Certainly, there are a lot of disappointments. ... But we'll get there. ... I think we'll all look back one day and smile and say it was worth the effort."

Marina Talisayan of Waianae and Kelly Kolysko-Rose of Honolulu, geology-geophysics seniors, say that day will come too late for them.

And even though she has three years left at UH, sophomore Erica Klohn of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, isn't counting on attending classes in the building.

"It probably won't happen," she said.